The German Mertz promises to do “everything that is needed” in defense

Friedrich Mertz, who is expected to become the next chancellor in Germany, has announced a political deal to meet hundreds of billions of euros at additional defense and infrastructure costs.

“In view of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent, the rule for our defense must now be” whatever is necessary, “he said.

Mertz, whose conservatives won the election in Germany last month, said he and his likely coalition partners from the center on the left would make new proposals for parliament next week.

He talks about the need for urgency about German costs in the light of the “latest decisions of the US government.”

69 -year -old Merz has not been refined, but is honest in his criticism of the treatment of President Donald Trump to Voladimir Zelenski in Ukraine in the oval office.

Earlier this week, he said that European leaders should show “We are able to act independently in Europe.”

At a press conference on Tuesday, along with the leaders of the Social Democrats and his Conservative Nursing Party in Bavaria, Mertz said that Germany relies on the United States to stand on “commitments to a mutual alliance … but we also know that resources to our national and allied protection must be greatly expanded.”

Mertz said in English he would do “everything he needs” to protect freedom and peace – a reference to the vow of Mario Drago to save the euro in 2012 when he was president of the European Central Bank.

At the heart of his proposals is a special fund of 500 billion euros (415 billion British pounds) for repairing the creaking infrastructure of Germany, as well as loosening the strict budget rules to allow defense investment.

As a result of the financial crisis in Europe, Germany imposed a “debt brake” or Debt brake, Restriction of budget deficit to 0.35% of national economic production (GDP) in normal times.

The new defense proposal recommends that the “required defense costs” over 1% of GDP be released from the restrictions of the debt brake without the upper limit.

Although Germany has provided more help to Ukraine than any other European country, its military is known for insufficient funding.

The Olaf Scholz Social Democrats government has set up a 100 billion fund after a full -scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine in 2022, but most of them have already been allocated.

Germany will have to find an additional 30 billion euros a year, just to achieve the current NATO goal of 2% of GDP for defense, and security experts believe it will have to increase its goal to 3%.

Scholz had to meet with Friedrich Mertz and the leaders of the Social Democrats on Wednesday on the eve of the EU summit dedicated to Ukraine and European defense. His government fell apart at the end of last year because the three parties in the coalition could not agree to reform the debt limitations.

The debt brake is recorded in the Constitution of Germany or the basic legislation and any change will require a majority of two -thirds in parliament, which is not a forerunned conclusion due to the large number of places laid down by the far right AFD and the left side.

However, the new parliament will not shrink until the end of March and this measure will initially go to the old parliament.

Boris Pistory, the Minister of Defense of the Social Democrats in the leaving government, said the cost plans were a “big, important step”, even if they were far from the coalition transaction. Ten days after the election in Germany, parties participate in research negotiations that continue on Thursday.

Pistorian told German television that the removal of defense from the rules of national debt was not about weapons as “our country's security – nothing more, nothing smaller.”

Social Democrat leader Lars Kingbale, with Mertz on Tuesday, gave details of the re -investment plan in German infrastructure, saying, “Our country is being worn.”

Loans of EUR 500 billion will enter a fund to cover road repairs, railways and other critical infrastructure; 100 billion euros of the money will go to the 16 federal countries in Germany, and loosening a debt brake to allow countries to collect small amounts of debt.